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12 The Lord said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction." 13 So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 To the elders he had said, "Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them." 15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. (Exodus 24:12-18 NRSV)
It's a classic ice-breaker question, Friend; Are you a mountains person, or a beach person? I'm a person who likes both, but if I had to choose I might choose mountains. I've shared how growing up I never saw a mountain until we vacationed in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; but it was a short trip and I was very young and I remember the mountains being more like clouds in the horizon, so I looked forward to summer camp in Kerrville in the Texas Hill Country, where I believed the hills were more like mountains in my opinion. And later in the year I spent in Denver, I once again experienced the beauty and majesty of the mountains. Don't get me wrong, in the Bible both the ocean and the mountains played key roles in the story of the geography of the Messianic Event. Yet, in key events in the Old and New Testaments, it is on the mountains where God reveals Himself. Moses' story is rooted in the mountain; the Law was given to Him while there as we read above, and this is tied to the gospel lesson of this week, where Jesus is transfigured. It makes sense that the expression "mountain top experience" has its roots in this passage. You may have used it after a wonderful spiritual experience at a retreat or church meeting, and my weeks at Mt. Wesley each summer were mountain top experiences for me. It would take about two weeks for the spiritual high that I felt to wear off. And later as a preacher at those same youth events I would hear from my own youth group kids, "Why isn't the experience at our church like camp?" Great question. At the camp we would have rock quality bands play, and the setting for the sermon allowed for props and antics that most traditional congregations would not necessarily tolerate, but I would emphasize that the the blessings from a mountain top service or an every week service both serve the same purpose.
The glory of God is all around us. We will find and be blessed with mountain top experiences whenever we humble ourselves and surrender ourselves to God. God has a way and a desire for you; we just have to stop and realize it.
PRAYER: Loving God, speak to our hearts in ways that discern Your will for our lives. May I never been blinded of Your glory all around us; use us to bless others into knowing You. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a revealer of God's glory to others.
Receive my blessings of love and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
